At the University of Pittsburgh, surgical oncology and HBP fellows and residents receive training with the robot in a "dry lab" format, Dr. Moser said. Trainees also can sit during actual cases at a second "teaching console" that is part of the current da Vinci Surgical System.
"We typically teach robotic cholecystectomy and sewing of the duodenojejunostomy during the Whipple procedure and allow them to do these portions of the procedure," Dr. Moser said.
Dr. Kendrick, who said he has no disclosures to make relevant to this article, hopes to see several fellowships established nationwide to address minimally invasive pancreas and liver surgery. However, "we have to be cautious about credentialing and assessing the adequacy of training. There’s a real mortality rate and a major complication rate [with the Whipple procedure] ... We’re trying to make it lower and lower with time, and not go backward."